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Scalia made September stop in Memphis

United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made one of his final public appearances before the court's term in October at Rhodes College in Memphis, where he urged a crowd of several hundred last September to not "mess with the Constitution."

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United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made one of his final public appearances before the court's term in October at Rhodes College in Memphis, where he urged a crowd of several hundred last September to not "mess with the Constitution."

Never known to hold back his conservative voice on matters of constitutional interpretation as it applies to current issues, Scalia didn't disappoint during his local speech. But, says Rhodes professor Tim Huebner, Scalia did much more during his stop than just speak.

"He was very generous with his time," said Huebner, chairman of the Department of History. "He not only spent time teaching a class, but he also met with a large group and gave a lecture. And he signed every book that needed to be signed. He was wonderful, spending an entire day with us."

Scalia was found dead in his bed Saturday while on a hunting trip in Texas. His grandson, who shares his grandfather's nickname of "Nino," is a sophomore at Rhodes.

Huebner, who had met Scalia previously during a lecture in 2014, also tells of the education he got in the security that surrounds hosting a Supreme Court justice.

"We had no idea what we were getting into when we extended the invitation," Huebner said. "I didn't know it would involve U.S. Marshals.

"There had to be a walk-through of every venue he visited, every hallway. Just before his arrival, a (bomb-sniffing) dog had to walk the hallways. But it was a wonderful event for us."

During his speech at Rhodes, Scalia defended his belief that the Constitution isn't a fluid document subject to interpretation.

He called decisions the court had made recently on the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage the "furthest imaginable extension of the Supreme Court doing whatever it wants."

Other area figures who had met Scalia also shared their thoughts Saturday on his passing.

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said in a statement that the country "lost an intellectual icon and a good man."

"I had the privilege to be with Justice Scalia when he was duck hunting in the Mississippi Delta," Hosemann, a Republican, said. "Those of us who believe in the Constitution lost our strongest champion."

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, also a Republican, said Scalia was "one of the most consequential legal minds to serve our country during my lifetime."

"At a time when it is often difficult to find someone to admire in Washington," Reeves said, "Justice Scalia is right up there with the guy who appointed him, President Reagan, as someone for whom I have great respect and admiration."

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